Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-12-28
habitants, there are only two hundred thou.

habitants, there are only two hundred thou
sand, since it takes at least two men t.
amount to one man, so depicting and IN
| nerving and exhausting is this metropolitan
| life. We want more fresh air. more sun
llgh-, more of the abandon of feld-sports
cry out for it in behalf of the Church of CO.
as well as in behalf of secular interests.
wish that this winter our ponds and ou
rivers and our Capitoline grounds might b.
all aquake with the heel and the shout o
the swift skater. wish that when th,
warm weather comes the graceful oar nigh
dip the stream, and the evening tide be res
onant with boatman's song, the briRh
Prov splitting the crystalline bill ow. w
| shall have the smooth grassy lawn, and w
will call out people of all occupations ant
professions, and ask them to join in tn
ballplayer's sport. You will come bacl
from these outdoor exercises and recreation
with strength in your arm, and color in you
check, and flash in your eye. and courage
in your heart. In this great battle that i
opening against the kingdom of darkness
we want not only consecrated soul, but ;
strong arm and stout lungs and might,
muscle. 1 bless God that there are SO man,
recreations that have not on them any tain
of iniquity;s recraations in which we may
engage for the strengthening of the body
for the clearing of the intellect, for ths
illumination of the soul.
There is still another form of recreation
which l commend to you, and that is ths
pleasures of doing good. 1have seen young
ueu, weak aud cross and sour and repelling
In their dispositions, who by one he 'venly
touch have wakened up and become bless
ed aud buoyant. the ground under their feet
and the sky over their heads breaking fortf
into music. "Oh," says some young man
in the house to day, II should like that re
creation above all others, but have no,
the MEANS" Ny dear brother, let us take
an account of stock this morning. You
have large estate, if you only realise it.
Two hands. Two feet. You will have,
perhaps, during the next year at least ten
dollars for charitable contribution. You
will have twenty five hundred cheerful
looks, If you want to employ them You
will have Eve thousand pleasant words, il
you want to speak them. Now what an
amount that is to start with!
You 60 out to morrow morning and you
see case of real destitutior bv tho waysids.
You give him two cents. The blind man
hears the pennies rattle in his hat, and he
says, Thank you, sir; God bless you.''
You pass down the street, trying to look in.
d ferent; but you feel from the very depth
of your soul profound satisfaction that
you made that man happy. Yon 60 on still
further, and fiud poor boy with wheel
barrow, trying to get it up on tho curbstone
He fails in the attempt You say, "Stand
back. my lad; let me try" You push it up
on the curbstone for him, and pass on. he
wonders who that we'll dressed man was
that helped him. You did kindness to
the boy. but you did great joy to your own
soul. You will not get over it all the week,
On the street to morrow morning you
will see sick man passing along. "Ah, "
you say, "what can do to make this man
happy? He certainly does not want money:
he is not poor. but he ia sick" Give him
one of those twenty-five hundred cheerful
looks that you have garnered up for the
whole year. Look joy and hopefdlness into
his soul. 1t will thrill him through, and
there will be reaction upon your own soul.
Going little farther on, you will come to
the store of friend who is embarrassed iu
business matters. You will 60 in and say,
"What fine store you have! l think bus.
mess will brighten UP, and you will have
more custom after while. think there
is coming great prosperity to all the coun.
try. Good morning" You pass out. You
helped yourself. And that uight you 90
home; you sit by the FIRE, ynn talk little.
you sing little, you laugh a title; you
say, II really don't know what is the mat
ter with me. I never felt SO splendidly in
my life." will tell you what il the matter
with you. You spent only two cents out OF
the ten dollars; you have contributed one
out of twenty five hundred cheerful looks
you have given ten, fifteen or twenty of the
five thousand pleasant words you are going
to speak during the year; you have with
your own hands helped tho boy with the
wheel barrow, and you feei in body, mind
and soul the thri of that recreation.
Which do you think was the happier Col.
Gardiner who sat with his elbow on table
spread with all extravagant viands. looking
off at dog on the rug, saving, ''How
would like to change places with him;
be the dog and he be Col. Gardiner; OF
those two Moravian missionaries who want
ed to go into the lazaretto for the cake ol
attending the sick, and they were told, 'tIt
you go in there you will never come out.
We never allow any one to come out. for be
would bring the cOntagion." Then they
made their wills aud went 10, first to help
the sick, and then to die. Which was the
happier-Col. Gardiner or the Moravian
missionaries dying for others? Was it all
sacrifice when the missionaries wanted to
bring the gospel to the neeross At the Bar
BADGES, and being denied the privilege. sold
themselves into slavery, standing side by
SIDE, and lying side by side down in the
very ditch of suffering, in order that they
might bring those men up to life and God
aud heaven? Oh. there is thrill in the j jny
of doing good! 1t is the most magnificent
recreation to which man ever puts his
hand or his head or his heart.
But. before closing, want to impress up
on you that mere secular entertainments
are not fit foundation for your soul 10
build on.
l vas reading Of woman who had gone
all the rounds If sinful amusement, aud she
came to die. She said, 81 will die tonight
at 6 O'clock ''Oh," they said, II guess
not; you don't seem to be sick" II shall
die at 6 o'clock. and my soul will be lost.
know it will be lost. l have sinned away
my dag of grace" The noon came They
desired to seek religious counsel. 'Oh. -
she said, sit is of no uss. My day is gone.
l have been all the rounds of worldly pleas
ure, and it ia too late. shall die tonight
at 6 O'Clock" The day wore away, and it
came to o'clock, and to O'Clock, and she
CItOu Ouh db U " CiOCks DostTOycu kptfiIS.
ye shall pot have me yet; it is not 6, it ia
not 6p' The moments went by and the
shadows began to gather, and the clock
struck 6; and while it was striking her SOU
went. What hour GID will call for us do
not know-whether O'Clock tonight, or 8
O'Clock this afternoon. or at o clock, or at
this moment. Sitting where you are, fall
ing forward, or standing where you are,
dropping down, where would you go tor
But our hour for adjourning has already
come, and the last hour of our life will soon
be here, and from that hour we will review
this days proceedings. It will be a solemn
hou-. If from our death pillow we have to
look back and see life spent in sinful
amusement, there will be dart that will
strike through our soul sharper than the
dagger with which Virginius slew his child.
The memory of the past will make us quake
like Macbeth. The iniquities aud riotiug
through which we have passed will come
upon us, weird and skeleton as Meg Aler-
rifles, Death, the old Shylock. will demand,
aud take the remaining pound of flesh and
the remaining drop OF blood, and upon our
last opportunity for repentance, and our
iast chance for heaven, the curtain will for.
ever drop.